Vehicle steering mechanism.



PATENTED APR. '2, 1908.

APPLIUATION '.FLE'D NOV. 12, 1904.

@vif new @a @OOG/Ll Caliber/w13 JP. d.. HA Q WILLIAM Meilliilixihi, Ol" CLE VEEAND, UHIO, ASSIGNOR riO 'lill WNIOY MOTOR CARRIAGE COMPANY, Gif CLEVELAND, Ulllt),

VEHICLE STEERING MECHANKSM.

no. seines.

To all zo/'wm it may concer/z.:

llo it known that l, WILLIAM .lvloGLiisHAig a subject or Great Britain, residing et Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State ot' Gino, have invented certain new and use Specification of Letters Patent.

tached to the iloor or traine of the vehic fnl, improvements in Vehicle Steering Meohanisin, of which the following is a specification, reference `being had therein to the ecconi anying drawing. I Tris invention relates to improvements .in vehicle steering mechanisms, and is especially intended for use in connection with and for the purpose of guiding an automobile.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and positive steering mechanism` which will not be subject to lost motion between the steering wheel and its immediately cooperating mechanism, the latter oiwhich is connected with the front the saine time will prevent any lateral strain or jar upon the steering wheels of the vehicle from being conveyed to the steering wheel, for the reasons well understood by those skilled in this art. y

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a longitudinal sectional view through the steering post, showingm r improved mechanisin. Fig. 2, is a detac led view in plan of the casting located at the'lower end of the steering post and which is suitably attached tothe body 'of the vehicle, the bell-crank lever supported by this casting being shown partly in dotted and `partly in full lines. nig. 3, is a detached sideelevation of -the longitudinally movable screw member which hns .its lower end extending into the casting shown in VFig. 2, and which is operatively connected to the bell-crank lever, the latter 4e also being supported bythe said casting.

l here not shown the vehicle steerine'f" Wheels or 'their immediate connections, hecause that .tornis no part of iny present inrention, und is not necessary to full understanding thereof.

As will he clearly understood from the vfollowing description, iny inveniion may be connected with any of thefwell known forms ci: steering wheels and their connections,

5o whereliy they are moved together.

My present invention relates to e particu- V hir construction located at the lowerrend of the steering tuhe or rod which is ponnected through the medium of theusual rofd 1 to the Wheel spindles of the-vehicle, and which at `nur` 1G is provided with a downw" loosely supported by Patented Apen 7, isos. serial No. 232,455. Y

well known, or other forni of steering wheel, 55

vand their .immediate connections.

Referring now to iny in'iproveuient,

dica-tes a casting which will in be suitably a This casting consists of l1,11 upper portion Iii and a lower portion fi which are held together by suitable bolts passing tlnough the perforated enrsfl of the said two 'parts of the @usb ing. A hell-cranl'lever 5 is interinediately pivotally supportedbetween. the two pa t of the casting at the point the seid le A being provided with laterall 7-eXtending spin. dles which forni the pivotal point thereof. As illustrated in Fig. l, this hellfcranl lever 5 is pivotally supported bythe casting at ons 7 side of the vertical center of the steering tubo or rod 8. l Projecting upward from the casting 2 is a sleeve 9 which is snialler in diamo ter than the portion 10 immediately there below, and-the upper portion of the sleeve t? 17, is provided with a relativelylorger internally screW-threaded split portion 11. Thelower end of the steering tuhe'or rod 8 extends into the enlarged portion 11 and is provided with n. lateral flange 12. This lateral flange 152 liereshovvn as a separnte part from the steer ing tube 8 and having on upwardlyeX'ende ing part 14 Within the lower end of thesteeriing tube and brazed therein, and with a downwardly extending screw-threaded por.- tion 15. lt will .be v understood, however, that the langeaud downwardly-entending portion 15, may be formed as a par of the steering tube or rod S, without in any nien-- noraffecting the invention. Placed withinA the reduced portion 9 of said sleeve, is a lOngitudinally-niovable elongated interrnilly` screw-threaded nut 16A which is adapted to receive the sorenf'rtlneeded portion 1.,? ried by the steering tube or rod The .i .im

d entspr sion 17 which is slotted longit inally, shown at 18, and passing transversely 'he slot and the lower end of said extension 1'?, is a pin 18. Placed within this slot and the pin, e, hardened end 2i) oiV l,

steel olocl 19,' lie cranli'levor 5 pro slot 21 which snugly lis tno s the latter, however., mi slotg.

An externeily screw ihr sleeve is placed in the en and has its lower end engaging the flange 12 oi the stecrifig post 8, wherebyr the steering post is held in position but may be readily removed by removing the said sleeve 22. This sleeve clamped in position by means of ahol't 2*' which passes through the perioratedear; fthe longitudinal slit portion 25 oi said enlarged part 11. From 'tile fore going it will be seen that the vertical )ortion of the sleeve 22 'forms a' longitudina bear ing, and that the end of the sleeve and flange 12 forms a transverselvarranged thrustbearing tor the steering post 8.

In the operation of my invention, the steering post or tube S is rotated by the handwheel 26 attached to its upper end. The rotation or' the steering tube or post rotates the screw-threaded portion l5 within the internally screw-threaded nut 1li and either raises or lowers the nut, according to the direction of rotation. 'lhe vertical movement of the nut through the medium of the block` 19 carried by its extension 17, causes the bell-crank lever to swing, and in turn the lower end 27 of said lever is caused to correspondingly move the connection 1' which is attached thereto, the latter moving the steering wheels in a manner which is well understood by those skilled in the art.

The foregoing. construction is exceedingly simple and readily accessible, and owing to.

the elongated screw-threaded portion, will avoid the lost motion which is known to be present in the usual worin and worm segment now generally in use for connecting operatively the steering post with the bell crank lever.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that the connection between the screw-threaded sleeve 16 and the inner end of the bell-crank lever 5, is in effect a pin and slot connection, which generically speaking is a sliding connection between the lever and the screw-threaded sleeve.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. An improved vehicle steering mechanism, comprising a supporting casing, a rotatable steeringr post having a longitudinal bearing and also a transverse thrust-bearing 1n the casing, a longitudinally-movable' sleeve located within thefoasing and having mternal screw-threads, the steering post having external screw-threads engaging the threads of the sleeve, means for preventing the rotation of the sleeve, and a connection between the sleeve and the steering wheels of the vehicle.

2. An improved vehicle steering mechanism, comprising a supporting casing, a rotaeagles vtable steering ost iouinal'ed therein and having screwt ireads at its lewer end, a longitudinal sleeve slidably mounted in said Acasing and having an internally screwthreaded opening receiving the screw-threadhaving forkedfmembers, a transverse bolt rigidly supported between said members, a block loosely mounted upon said bolt and an intermediately pivoted lever having one end biurcated and litting closely over vthe 'block and its opposite end adapted to be pivotally connected to the lower end of said sleeve and its opposite end ada' ted to be connected with the vehicle-steering wheels.

4. An improved vehicle steering mechanism, comprising a supported casing having an enlarged upper end internally screw-threaded adjacent its upper end, a rotatable steering post journaled therein and having a rigid annular :ilange intermediate its A' ends and within the enlarged upper end-of the` casing and upon the shoulderI formed therein, a sleeve screwed within the said enlarged upper end of the casing'and engaging the upper face ot the flange carried by the )ost to prevent the upward movement of t e post, the

WILLIAh/I MCGLASHAN.

. Witnesses:

' HAROLD BANDERSON,

C. P. TRACY;

ed end of the post, the lower end or' said sleeve the screw-threaded end of the post andan intermediately pivoted lever having one end lower end of the post having a screw-*thread- 

